Who inspired me to sell my stuff and move to Spain

By Charles McLaughlin Piché on 2012-08-23 00:00 UTC

I think reading and listening to inspiring people is an awesome way to help one find his own path. For me, it's contributed a great deal to my decision to change my lifestyle, and more precisely at that moment: sell my stuff and move to Spain.

To discover who inspires you, you need to seek out and read from a lot of different people. Then you stick with the ones who inspire you and keep looking for more from time to time. I spent a lot of time doing exactly this over the last year. Here are the ones who significantly inspired me to take what some told me was "such a crazy decision." They might not be inspiration for everyone, but I can assure you they are all worth a look.

Tim Ferriss

If you haven't read The 4-Hour Work Week, I can't recommend it enough. Ferriss describe in this book different lifestyle possibilities that I didn't realize were possible at that time. One important thing you should know before reading this book: Read it with an open mind and put aside the traditional lifestyle beliefs for a moment. It may not be for you, but you won't really know unless you read it. I also read all his posts on his Lifestyle Experiments blog, which I also recommend.

Danny Dover

I first heard of Danny in 2010 when he was working at SEOmoz and writing kick-ass articles about SEO. He launched a personal blog (now called Life Listed) in early 2011 that I started reading almost from day one and still follow today. I've seen him evolve, make major changes in his life, and realize major accomplishments driven by his impressive life list. He's been a real inspiration and the main reason I chose to move to Barcelona. I had the pleasure of meeting him after moving in Barcelona, an encounter which inspired me even more. Looking at the positive impact his life list has on is life is making me seriously think of making my own list.

Sean Ogle

I'm usually not attracted by people selling the lifestyle they are living, but Sean is definitely an exception for me. I didn't buy his products, but I've read almost all his blog post since for the past five or six months. I really like the integrity and honesty in his writing. He shares great tips and the things he's learning from his successes as well as his is failures, which I think is great. I'm also impressed by how dedicated he is to his writing schedule! You can find his Location 180 blog here.

Steve Jobs

Last but not least, Jobs has been a major source of inspiration for me over the past year. The commencement address he made at Stanford is the most inspirational speech I have ever heard. I watch this video at least once a month and I am still amazed and inspired every time. The advices he gave through his three short stories are priceless and contributed a lot to the positive changes I've made happen in my life lately.

I also read his biography, which was the biggest book I ever read but also one of the best I’ve ever read. The passion that drove Jobs’ life amazes me.
These people are all really different in many ways and I think that's why each of them inspired me in their own way.